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To Crack or Not to Crack

D

DarrenR

I swear I am number 8!
Joined
Jan 5, 2001
Messages
963
:0 Ok get your minds out of the gutter!LOL
Storage and aging of cigars is as much a personal preference as lighting or cutting but I am curious. :p
I was cleaning out my cabinet and transfering some items to my new coolidor and this came to mind.
When I get a box to age I will take each stick out to inspect it. I will open the end of the cello a bit (or remove it if I want them to marry). Then place them in storage. The last theing I do is wedge the lid slightly open with a lid from some tubo's I have had in the past. In my experience this has helped maintain a good balance of air flow and moisture in the boxes over their life.
Does anyone else crack their boxes?????? ??? What is your practices.
Thanks
DarrenR
 
No. Never.

With cigars that I intend to store and age long term (meaning no less than 5-7 years) I leave the boxes closed. Conditions which contribute to gentle and more graceful aging are postulated to be:

1. minimizing the frequency and magnitude of temperature swings - Cigars that experience two slow swings a year between 65-70F are better off than cigars that see 60-75F swings several times a month. Reducing the physical and chemical stresses due to expansion and contraction with temperature changes is the key.

2. minimizing the frequency and magnitude of humidity swings - Cigars that experience a steady storage humidity experience less physical and chemical stress from the uptake and release of moisture as well as associated migration of volatile or mobile flavor components such as light oils and oleoresins

3. maintaining an "isolating" environment similar to but not exactly like the "wine in a bottle" effect - Pulling together the above two conditions, it is desirable to keep the tasty stuff that is in the tobacco right where it is instead of allowing it to seep out and make your storage container smell good. Voltaile aromatic compounds will leave the leaf, however, in a closed container like a SLB/cab, the in-air saturation concentration is reached and maintained relatively quickly. If you leave the box open to a larger space such as a cooler or cabinet, the tobacco must necessarily emit these compounds until the saturation concentration in the air is achieved. So, 3 cubic inches of free space will draw out far less of the good stuff than 1-5 cubic feet of free space in a loosely filled cooler or cabinet.

Consistent with the above guidelines, a prototypical "good" long term storage condition might look like the following:
1. All boxes and cabs kept as full as possible
2. All boxes and cabs kept closed with all cedar dividers and glassine paper inserts in place
3. All boxes and cabs placed in sealed ziploc freezer storage bags (optional)
4. The cooler or cabinet kept as full as possible while maintaining a minimal amount of clearance to allow top-bottom, front-back, left-right equalization of temperature and humidity.
5. The cooler or cabinet is kept at a steady temperature and humidity year round

A "poor" long term storage condition might look like this:
1. Cigars loose and in uncovered wooden or wire trays
2. Boxes or cabs contain less than one-third of their original count, lids left open or removed entirely
3./4. Boxes or trays are unprotected and stored on open shelves with large amounts of space between them promoting bulk circulation and complete changes of the the air inside the storage container when the door is opened
5. The cooler or cabinet (and its interior space) is subject to significant temperature swings and the humidification regulates poorly

Keep in mind the above applies primarily to longer term storage of cigars. If one's intent is different from this, arrangements could vary considerably from the given models yet still provide storage that delivers the desired cigar conditioning.

I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on storage for a) immediate smoking, b) intermediate term smoking/storage (1 yr - 5 yrs) and c) long term storage (5+ yrs).

Wilkey
 
If I crack the box then for me for some reason they are harder to store. It's like they start talking to me... calling, daring me to smoke them. Unfortunately I have no discipline LMAO...

Seriously, I just keep the box sealed after I have removed the cello :cool:
 
The only thing aging around here is me. I'll be damned if I have a bunch of cigars around for my friends to smoke at my funeral. I keep cigars around long enough to acclimate them to my preferred humidity. Then I smoke 'em. This attitude was developed because I have too many friends who did dangerous stuff for a living and then retire and drop dead mowing the lawn. :sign:

Doc.
 
Great post Wilkey. I look forward to hearing how other people store in those situations as well.
 
Guys,

Keep in mind that these are general guidelines. As with any endeavor that involves both the technical and the subjective, there is a broad plateau of indifference. In other words, there is a broad range of conditions right around the average that will work for the majority of folks with no discernible difference in performance. For most of us, this just isn't something to overly stress about. What is it that they say? "Close enough for government work." ;)

Doc, great attitude. :thumbs: It seems like every 6 months my parents tell me about a friend of theirs who worked hard all their lives and then retired just to be on the receiving end of a stroke, heart attack, etc. There's something to be said for living each day as if each day counted.

Wilkey
 
Great info here. :thumbs:

A very informative post by Wilkey that should be added to for all those new smokers who have yet to age anything over a year or so.

An by "those new smokers" I am speaking of myself. :)
 
:D This is great!
The information is awsomw as always Wilkey.
The original question was more towards storage than aging. I have a few older cigars but all are singles or twins. If I had enough stock that I could store whole boxes for 5-7 years I wouldn't have a wife. :laugh:
I have alot of partial boxes that I store in both my coolidor and cabinet.So I was curious.
Thanks gang
DarrenR
:p :p :p :p
 
DarrenR said:
:D This is great!
The information is awsomw as always Wilkey.
The original question was more towards storage than aging. I have a few older cigars but all are singles or twins. If I had enough stock that I could store whole boxes for 5-7 years I wouldn't have a wife. :laugh:
I have alot of partial boxes that I store in both my coolidor and cabinet.So I was curious.
Thanks gang
DarrenR
:p :p :p :p
Click to expand...
Hey Darren,

Storage is just short term aging, is it not? :p

In any case, when I pick up singles of particularly "precious" cigars, I try to find an empty tubos to store them in. Especially with cigars that are over 10 years of age, pampered storage is just so critical. If they are singles then they are at the mercy of fresh air and room conditions every time the coolidor or cabinet is opened. A tubos is one way to try and preserve as much of the cigar as was there when you acquired it.

Wilkey
 
Devil Doc said:
The only thing aging around here is me. I'll be damned if I have a bunch of cigars around for my friends to smoke at my funeral. I keep cigars around long enough to acclimate them to my preferred humidity. Then I smoke 'em. This attitude was developed because I have too many friends who did dangerous stuff for a living and then retire and drop dead mowing the lawn. :sign:

Doc.
Click to expand...

I aspire to drop dead mowing the lawn, but not tomorrow :laugh:

I also aclimate, then smoke.
 
I open all boxes of cigars that I purchase for inspection, to make sure the cigars are in good shape, and remove any humidpacks from the vendors that use them. I then close the box, and leave it sitting in a temperature and humidity controlled environment. That's it, that's about as exciting as it gets...
 
Wilkey, I have also heard that some people put the box of cigars in a Zip-Lock bag, seal it and then put it in the Cabinet or what ever for long term storage.
I don't go that far. I..., like Moki open each box, inspect it, and put it away. If there is a special cigar, or cigars..I put them in tubes to protect them. Some are bagged and others are in a special box buried in the Winecooler-a-dor.
My worry about not opening the box prior to putting it away, is that what if there was enough faulty cigars in there that would warrant a return of product. and the other is the dreaded infestation of beetles....I am not in the habit of freezing my cigars when I get them, so inspection is key.
Finally... And this is my plan. I have no real plan...lol..When I think in terms of aging for me..I think a few years at most. Maybe one day that will change. But for now, It is short term at best.
Maintaining optimum conditions and putting a do not disturb sign on the cigar storage Humidor, if for the long term. 7 years and up. I tend to buy cigars already aged, so an added few years or so I feel I can be less than pedantic about optimum long term storage plans.
Just my 2 Cents.


Deez
 
Deez,

Right on. I neglected to mention the inspection process because I was focused on storage but you're exactly right. I never put down unopened boxes.

Your approach makes sense for your buying and aging pattern. And some are naturally more fastidious or particular than others. If it works for you then by all means, it's good.

Wilkey
 
Should you leave the cradboard packaging that come on some wooden boxes on or off as some of the cardboard packaging has the box code which may not be on the actual box itself (Monte D)
 
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